It may be a remote, harsh and challenging area to operate in, but the deep waters west of the Shetland Isles may arguably hold the future of the U.K.’s gas industry and of the country’s wider energy provision in their grasp.

The 50th edition of OTC Houston – the leading annual exhibition and conference in the world’s oil and gas calendar - has just ended with organisers reporting an attendance figure of 61,300 for the four-day event.

The announcement by the U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond that changes will be made to the tax regime for assets on the U.K. Continental Shelf was called for by the oil and gas industry – so needless to say it will be welcomed, but what is the bigger story?

The dust has just settled on Offshore Europe 2017 (OE2017) in Aberdeen, the region’sleading conference for the oil and gas industry, so now’s a good time to consider some of the key takeaways that came up at the show.

It’s often said if you travel to any of the oil and gas centres around the world you’ll soon hear a Scots' accent. That’s because the quality of our engineering expertise and excellence is recognised and admired globally.

As the international oil and gas industry’s spotlight shines on the North Sea at Offshore Europe this week, one of the key questions being asked is ‘how optimistic are we?’ or ‘how optimistic do we dare to be?’

The recent annual Oil & Gas UK conference in Aberdeen once again provided an excellent opportunity for operators and service companies to share their own developments and obtain a broader understanding of how the North Sea is faring as we enter a fourth year of prolonged low hydrocarbon prices. Here are some of the things I took away from the event.